Bhashya
‘तं हैतमुद्दालकः’ इत्यादि ।सत्यकामो जाबालोऽन्तेवासिभ्य उक्त्वा उवाच— अपि यः एनं शुष्के स्थाणौ निषिञ्चेत्, जायेरन्नेव अस्मिन् शाखाः प्ररोहेयुः पलाशानि— इत्येवमन्तम् एनं मन्थम् उद्दालकात्प्रभृति एकैकाचार्यक्रमागतं सत्यकाम आचार्यो बहुभ्योऽन्तेवासिभ्य उक्त्वोवाच ।किमन्यदुवाचेत्युच्यते— अपि यः एनं शुष्के स्थाणौ गतप्राणेऽपि एनं मन्थं भक्षणाय संस्कृतं निषिञ्चेत् प्रक्षिपेत्, जायेरन् उत्पद्येरन्नेव अस्मिन् स्थाणौ शाखा अवयवा वृक्षस्य, प्ररोहेयुश्च पलाशानि पर्णानि, यर्था जीवतः स्थाणोः ; किमुत अनेन कर्मणा कामः सिध्येदिति ; ध्रुवफलमिदं कर्मेति कर्मस्तुत्यर्थमेतत् ।विद्याधिगमे षट् तीर्थानि ; तेषामिह सप्राणदर्शनस्य मन्थविज्ञानस्याधिगमे द्वे एव तीर्थे अनुज्ञायेते, पुत्रश्चान्तेवासी च ॥
In plain words
'This one — Uddālaka —' the verse begins, and goes on from there. Satyakāma Jābāla had already taught his students the whole doctrine, and then he added this: even pour this mixture on a stump that is bone dry, and branches would still break out on it, leaves would still unfurl. That is where this teaching runs, handed down teacher to teacher in an unbroken line from Uddālaka, until Satyakāma, after teaching it to many students in the ordinary way, spoke it once more — to just one. What more did he say? Here it is, spelled out: pour this same mixture, made ready to eat, onto a stump with no life left in it at all, and branches — real limbs of a tree — would still spring from it, leaves would still grow, exactly as they would on a stump still living. And if a dead stump can do that, how much more surely will this rite grant a living man his wish? 'This rite bears fruit for certain' — that line is there to praise the rite, nothing more. Sacred knowledge, tradition says, may pass through six channels. But this teaching — the mantha joined to the vision of prāṇa — travels through only two of them: a son, or a pupil who lives at the teacher's side.
Close to the Sanskrit
'Him, indeed, this Uddālaka' — and so on. Satyakāma Jābāla, having taught his resident pupils, said further: even if one were to pour this onto a dry stump, branches would indeed be born on it, and leaves would sprout forth — up to this point runs the mantha-teaching that has come down, teacher after teacher in single succession, from Uddālaka onward; and the teacher Satyakāma, having taught many resident pupils, said this to one. What else did he say? — this is now explained: even if one were to pour, that is, cast, this mantha, prepared for eating, onto a dry stump whose life has already departed, branches — the tree's own limbs — would indeed arise on that stump, and leaves would sprout forth, just as on a living stump; how much more, then, would a desire be accomplished by this rite! 'This rite has a fixed fruit' — this statement is for the sake of praising the rite. In the attainment of sacred knowledge there are six fords; of these, here, in attaining the knowledge of the mantha joined with the vision of prāṇa, only two fords are sanctioned: the son, and the resident pupil.